


i'll be the greatest fan of your life

by stellations



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 17:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5674180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellations/pseuds/stellations
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for a friend and based off of general prompts and imagine your otp prompts. And songs, because I'm just a random prompt sort of person.</p>
    </blockquote>





	i'll be the greatest fan of your life

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a friend and based off of general prompts and imagine your otp prompts. And songs, because I'm just a random prompt sort of person.

**What now? I just can’t figure it out**  


  
[nightmare](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/102341281090/imagine-person-b-of-your-otp-has-a-nightmare-and) and [do not touch her](http://concreteangel1221.tumblr.com/post/115523245775/chain-of-command-insp-madred-we-will-get-what)  


For once, they had met for dinner in her quarters. Afterwards, he had been so exhausted that she worried he wouldn’t make it back to his quarters in one piece, so she had practically demanded that he stay with her. It took a bit of cajoling for him to agree, but in the end he saw reason. He had taken the couch that night, despite her protests, relegating her to her bed. Alone.

Knowing he was on the couch just on the other side of the wall was almost worse than trying and failing to sleep on Kesprytt with him at her back. Her mind raced as she imagined pulling him off that couch and just holding him for the rest of the night. Nothing needed to happen. It was just that she felt so lonely knowing he was so close.

So lost was she in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear the telltale sounds coming from the living area. Once she noticed the shuffling sounds and the almost whimpering voice, she immediately shoved the sheets back and flung herself to her feet, hurrying out to see what had happened. Ignoring the fact that she should be wearing a robe, she dropped down to her knees next to the couch where she could see Jean-Luc writhing around. Clearly he was having a nightmare. 

“No,” he moaned, thrashing about. “I’ll stay. Don’t… don’t hurt…”

What on Earth was he dreaming about? 

“Jean-Luc!” she called, her voice sharp and as loud as she dared. “You’re having a dream. Wake up!”

“Don’t! Don’t…” His voice was feeble, as though he were too weak to make it strong. “Don’t touch her. I’ll do anything.”

Her frown deepened and she did everything she could to wake him. Eventually, she succeeded, but not after he thrashed around more and nearly knocked himself out of the couch. By the time he finally woke and began to recognize his surroundings, he was hanging half off the couch and half in her arms, his head pressed against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around him. 

“Shh, Jean-Luc,” she murmured. “It’s all right. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Beverly… I…” 

Clearly disoriented, it took him a while for his sense of decorum to settle in. When it did, he pushed away from her, breaking her embrace and settling back on his side where he wouldn’t be leaning on her. She could still see him easily, though, so she allowed him to move to his own comfort, even as she reached a hand to gently run her fingers across his head from his hairline down to his ear and across his jaw.

“It’s okay,” she repeated, as though she needed the reassurance as much as he did. 

He reached a hand up to hers, wrapping his fingers around her and holding on as tightly as he could. She noticed that he practically pulled her hand towards his chest, as though he wanted to preserve the moment. Or protect her from something. 

“Beverly… I’m sorry. It was just a dream.”

“You were having a hell of a nightmare, Jean-Luc,” she corrected, concern lacing her tone as she gazed across the expanse at him. “What was it?”

For a while, she wasn’t sure he would actually answer her. He seemed so intent on watching her, gazing into her eyes, that she had to fight the urge to look away. Whatever had happened in his dreams, she had to tell him that she was still here. She wouldn’t look away, wouldn’t leave. She was always here for him. 

Always.

Eventually, her patience paid off, but she wasn’t prepared for what she heard. “It was about… our mission, my capture by the Cardassians. Gul Madred’s interrogation.” He sighed wearily and she squeezed his hand in reassurance and silent support. “Usually… if I have a nightmare, it’s about the Borg. About Locutus.”

He didn’t need to elaborate. The thumb running across his hand showed that she understood. 

“This time was different. I could see those four lights and he kept asking me about them, just as he had in reality.”

This was the most he had ever told her about what happened while he was a Cardassian prisoner all those years ago. She suspected he had told Troi more than he had voiced to her and she bore no ill will for that. Now he was telling her and she found that hearing even a dream-altered version was far more powerful than any report ever could have been. 

“And then he…” 

Jean-Luc’s voice cracked and Beverly knew that whatever happened next had affected him far deeper than he wanted to admit. Leaning closer, she pressed her cheek to the side of his head, wrapping her free arm around his back so he would truly feel as though she were holding him. 

“In reality as in my dream, he… Gul Madred threatened your safety, Beverly.”

That brought her head up and she leaned back just enough to frown at him. “How? By the time he got to you, I wasn’t anywhere near.”

“I know that now,” he told her, shifting so he could sit upright, all the while never letting go of her hand. Deciding she wanted to remain on the floor, she didn’t move, letting him rest their clasped hands on his knee. “At the time, I thought the Cardassians had captured you and Worf as well. Gul Madred said he would torture you, coerce information from you if I didn’t comply. I chose to stay… so that he would not bring harm to you.”

His words marked a hell of a revelation for her. Beverly’s eyes searched his. “Jean-Luc…” Words wouldn’t do justice to the emotions tumbling around in her head now as she realized he had agreed to remain a Cardassian prisoner, agreed to be tortured with no end in sight, just because he believed he would be saving her from the same. Beverly wasn’t a tearful person by nature. In fact, she rarely cried at all. At these words, however, she could feel a few tears escaping her iron hold. In an effort to take his attention away from that, she pushed herself up so she was sitting on the couch next to him. One hand remained clasped in his as the other reached to his cheek. Before she could think better of what she was about to do, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

For what seemed like hours, neither of them moved. When they parted, neither of them spoke. They simply wrapped their arms around the other and held each other close. 

“I thought I would lose you,” he murmured into her hair after a while of silence. “I couldn’t bear the idea. He could do anything he wanted to me. He could beat me, hurt me, break my spirit and my very soul... as long as he never laid a finger on you.”

It was in that instant that she knew. She knew without a doubt. And she wanted him to know. She was ready for him to have the same realization. Maybe this time they could do something about it.

“I’m right here, Jean-Luc,” she repeated, making up her mind. Pulling back, she pushed herself to her feet and held her hands out to him. She could see the confusion in his eyes, but he trusted her enough that he slid his hands into hers and stood with her. Glancing over her shoulder so she would know where she was going, she slowly backed up, leading him to the bedroom. Once inside, he balked again, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her to the couch.

She gave his hands a squeeze. “Come to bed with me, Jean-Luc. Something tells me tonight we’ll both sleep better together than apart.”

His sense of propriety warred with his desire to be close to her; she could practically see the gears turning in his head. It wasn’t long before he nodded his agreement. Her smile was warm and gentle, her trademark, as she guided him towards the bed. Nothing would happen that night. She didn’t want physical intimacy. What she wanted was emotional closeness and that was what she received. 

As he settled in, lying on his back just as he had back on Kesprytt, she switched everything around, curling up next to him with her head against his shoulder and one arm around his waist. She could tell he was surprised in the way that his muscles tensed. Soon, however, they relaxed and first one of his arms, then the other, wrapped around her as he turned onto his side to face her. As they closed their eyes and began to drift off to sleep, she couldn’t help putting words to her earlier realization, a memory that had resurfaced and decided to make its presence known and appreciated, the only way she could tell him that she appreciated what he had done for her, even though it had been entirely unnecessary. 

“I love you.”

She felt his lips press against her forehead and smiled a secretive little smile. Her thought was that he would be too sleepy to pay attention to her words. She was wholly unprepared for what he said in return.

“I love you, too.”

With that, she curled up further against him and vowed that somehow she would work things out with him. They had never spoken those words so plainly before. Now that they had, what was truly stopping them from trying what they both so desperately wanted? At the very least, she had a feeling, if they could get through what had happened in the past together, they had a chance of finally being happy. After Jean-Luc’s revelation, Beverly decided that was all she wanted:

For him to be as happy as he made her.

 

**lie to yourself but don't lie to me**  


we’ve been on a few dates and...

 

They were staying in La Barre while on leave. Wesley had come and gone, taking a very brief break before returning to the USS _Titan_ and his assignment under Captain Riker. It was such a memorable visit that Beverly couldn’t help telling Jean-Luc all about it the next morning after breakfast. 

“I told him we’d been on a couple of dates since we got here and do you know what he said? He asked when we were getting married! Can you imagine that?”

Jean-Luc did his best to keep his surprise off his face. He had been planning to ask her that very question soon enough and wondered if this was a sign. Shaking himself inwardly, he focused on what she was saying.

“And then he winked. My son winked! I’m starting to think those alternate planes of existence did a number on him.”

“Either that or Captain Riker is breaking him in,” Jean-Luc suggested, trying to sound as though he were joking.

Beverly chuckled in response. “Or perhaps both. You know what I think?” she asked, eyeing him shrewdly.

“What do you think?” he questioned mildly, as though he had no idea what that look in her eyes meant.

“I think..." She drew it out in a way that made his heart feel like it was skipping with anticipation, though he knew it couldn't. "...he’s trying to play matchmaker.”

Jean-Luc seized the opportunity presented to him, figuring this would be the only time for him to see how she really felt and whether or not his idea would be a good one. “Is it working?”

Her lips curled upwards slowly, as though she had a secret she wasn’t intending to share quite so easily. He loved it when she smiled, yes, but that secretive smile pulled a fond one across his own face. Unable to hide it and unwilling to even try, he let his love for her shine through.

“You know... I think it might be.”

Her smile turned teasing as she leaned her head against his shoulder. From where they stood by the window, they could see the snow swirling around outside. It reminded him of all the days she had stood at his side, all the times she never let him go, and all the years she had supported him, even when he was being less than cooperative. 

Someday, he would learn to stop doubting the fact that she loved him as much as he had always loved her.

 

**and it's over now, we got the love, there's no sleeping now**  


  
[snow](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/106930308020/thelastgreenbean-whatever-you-do-dont-imagine) and [looking forward](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/116037787145/oma-adel-im-looking-forward-to-the-day-were)  


 

His hand was warm around hers, tucked inside his coat pocket. The number of times Beverly had been to the Picard family vineyard could be counted on one hand and she didn’t think she had ever seen this much of it. They were on shore leave and, oddly enough, it had been Jean-Luc’s idea. Shore leave in the middle of a French winter. It could be worse, she supposed. It could be shore leave in the middle of the Alps in winter.

Though she had checked his life signs the second he suggested shore leave without prompting. He had made a face at her for it. 

Now here they were, walking through the snow. Admittedly, it wasn’t much more than a dusting at the moment, but it was still damn cold to Beverly. She knew he had something up that sleeve of his; she just didn’t know what it was. The suspense was driving her crazy.

A small shiver coursed through her body as they walked in silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence. A moment later, she found him stopping in front of her. She blinked in gentle confusion as he unwrapped the scarf around his neck, carefully winding it around hers instead. The smile that crossed her lips in response was grateful, full of the fondness and love she felt for him, two emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to show him until their heart-to-heart about losing people after the Shinzon incident.

 _Perhaps it’s time we stopped looking to the past,_ had been said multiple times that night before they leaned nearer to steal a kiss, one from the other. They had agreed to keep their relationship fairly casual, just to see where things went, but the longer they were together, the less either of them seemed to care about propriety and appearance. They did still hold some measure of decorum, particularly in front of her crew, but the secretive and lingering looks they often gave each other left no room for doubt. 

No doubt existed in her smile now, either, especially as his hand lingered in her hair, gently brushing snow from her rich ginger strands. Her hair had finally grown back to its original color, tainted only by age and wisdom, not dye. Something still wasn’t right. He was acting perfectly, as normal as ever, but a little spark in his eyes told her that he was nervous. About what? What on Earth could have him worked up while he was here with her? He couldn’t possibly be thinking about the ship, either starship. So what was it?

“Beverly,” he began, in a voice that said he had something very important to tell her and didn’t want to be interrupted. “Do you know where we are?”

She thought that was an odd question. “We’re on your family’s vineyard.”

He shook his head, as though that wasn’t the answer he had in mind. “We’re in the center of the vineyard, the heart of its very being. I wanted to do this here, where we would be away from prying eyes and ears, in the middle of the vineyard with the person who has so become the middle of my universe.”

Her breath caught in her chest as she gazed up at him. Was he about to do what she thought he was about to do? One of his hands reached into the pocket that had not held her hand earlier as they walked. When he pulled it back out, he quickly took hers and wrapped both of his around it, pressing something into her palm. Even through her thick gloves, she could feel the shape of the ring against her skin.

“Jean-Luc…”

“Beverly.” His voice was stronger now, more confident and sure of himself. “I love you. I have loved you so deeply for all this time we’ve had together. I have enjoyed every moment, watching you walk into a room, seeing you spread your wings as captain, without me to hold you back. You have grown so much in the last year, learning your way around the captain’s chair with an ease I never expected. I adore your determination, drive, and compassion, everything about you. I adore _you_. Every day, when I wake up to your face beside mine, I imagine what it would be like not to worry about anyone else’s thoughts regarding our relationship, of rumors that might float around unbidden. And then I think about everything I want with you. I want to spend every minute I have with you. I want to hold you if ever you are ill or injured or just because you’re there. I want to share every laugh and every tear with you. I want so much for you, all the happiness in the universe, and selfishly, I want to be there with you every step of the way. You mean everything to me. You are the center of my universe now. So… if you think that, perhaps, you might be willing to indulge me, I would be honored if you would become my wife.”

For a minute, she couldn’t breathe. It was a wonderful sensation, exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. A large part of her wanted to kiss him fiercely and tell him that he was stupid for imagining that she wouldn’t say yes, especially after such a rousing speech. The rest of her won out, though, and she held her ground. After all, she had made Jack do the thing properly after his gag gift proposal; of course she would make Jean-Luc do the same.

She took his hand, turning hers over and pressing the ring back into his grip. Confusion, worry, and pain flashed across his face for a split second as she pulled back, before she pulled off her glove and offered her left hand to him.

“I hope you’re prepared to do this the right way, Jean-Luc,” she teased him, the smile wavering on her face with the weight of her emotions.

She wasn’t planning on forcing him to one knee in the snow, but she should have expected that response. Before she could protest, he had dropped to one knee in front of her, her hand in his as he slid the ring on her finger. His eyes never left hers and she took in the happiness in every crease of his face.

“Beverly, will you marry me?”

“Yes, Jean-Luc. _Oh yes_.” 

Reaching for both of his hands, she pulled him upright again so she could throw her arms around his neck and kiss him fiercely, just as she had wanted to before. This was what she had wanted so desperately for so long, even as she had feared it just as desperately. But, as they had said just last year, perhaps it really was time for them to stop looking to the past. Grief, guilt, it had no part in their present and certainly no jurisdiction over the future. That wasn’t to say that they were suddenly cured, but Beverly had requested that they at least try to work through those emotions together. So far, it seemed to be working. If their recent engagement was any indication, Beverly thought their relationship was going quite well for them.

Finally.

 

**It's the biggest decision I'm about to get right**  


[i choose you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhTdYVadnzI)

 

After they had come back inside from the cold, Marie had helped them get warm with a pot of tea and anything else they needed. Naturally, she was the first to discover the engagement. In all honesty, Beverly had been a little afraid of how Marie would react. After the _Enterprise_ -D had crashed, Beverly had discovered the fate of Robert and Rene Picard. Jean-Luc had invited her to the vineyard to meet Marie, knowing that one widow could help the other. While Beverly had not also lost her son, she had let him go only a year prior. If there was anyone in the universe who could understand what Marie was going through, it was Beverly. The two had forged such a strong bond after that, one they kept up to this day. This was why Beverly and Jean-Luc were happier to return these days, to enjoy the vineyard once again. During this visit, she could tell Marie was doing so much better and that warmed her heart. Good. She would make it through.

Marie was all a flutter over their engagement, so excited that she infected the calm couple. Beverly couldn’t help the bright grin crossing her face and when she glanced at Jean-Luc, she spied a tight-lipped smile that kept threatening to become more open than he usually allowed. The sight practically made her heart sing, cliché as that was to think.

After all conversation had been exhausted and the tea pot long since emptied, Marie left the couple, heading for bed. Beverly hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time. It was nice, though. Good for her. Then again, Beverly hadn’t been this happy herself in a long time. Perhaps they were all due for some happiness. 

It was quite a while before either Beverly or her fiancé realized there was music playing. Jean-Luc was the first to respond, standing and offering her a hand. 

“May I have this dance?”

She eyed him with no small amount of suspicion. Dancing? He never danced. “You sure are acting strangely, Jean-Luc,” she accused, remembering quite well the day he had been replaced. “Are you sure you’re not an imposter?” 

His eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I assure you I’m not. Just because I asked you to marry me and then dance with me doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly been replaced.”

Still eyeing him suspiciously, Beverly finally stood and took his hand. He led her to a slightly more open space of the sitting room and began to sway gently with her. She placed her free hand against his shoulder, holding him close, just like they had that night the imposter had danced with her. 

“Ask me something if you’re so worried,” he suggested, holding her as closely as he could, so that her forehead practically brushed his shoulder. She didn’t mind. He wasn’t acting _that_ strangely. Most of this was her teasing him, after all. Most of it.

“All right. Kesprytt. That dream you had. What was it?”

She felt him shift. He didn’t exactly tense, but he certainly was… embarrassed by it. Uncomfortable, perhaps. She pressed a kiss to his jaw to help ease some of his tension.

“It was too intimate for description and I know you heard it all night.”

“Mmm, I did,” she admitted, nuzzling his neck first and then kissing down his jaw to his lips, where she lingered for a while. Releasing him, she kissed up his other side before she whispered in his ear, “I was just thinking about how much of that dream I’d like to reenact.” 

His arm tightened around her. “Oh, would you now?”

“There’s a lot I’d like to do with you,” she responded, letting their dance slow to a halt as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled back so she could gaze fondly at him. She felt his arms circle firmly around her and smiled. This was how she liked to be: wrapped up in his arms. “I want to see the stars with you. I want you to hold me at night. I want to wake up every day of my life to see you and have you by my side as often as possible. I’m not stuck in sickbay anymore. There’s more of a chance for us to see each other during the day. But even if we don’t... I just want to be able to come home to our quarters and know that you’ll be there.”

His head tilted, forehead resting against hers. 

“Beverly...”

“I’m in love with you, Jean-Luc, and I’m not letting go of you.”

“I choose you,” he whispered before tilting his head further so he could kiss her. “You will never lose me.”

Good. She could handle that. As they went back to their slow dance, swaying gently to the music, she thought that perhaps she might bring up the topic of children next time they had a heart-to-heart. At this point she thought that might be something both of them could agree on, despite their ages. One of the best parts of the future was the extended average lifetimes. They had so much time left. So much time. For children, for their careers. For loving each other.

Beverly thought they would have a long, long time left to love each other and she looked forward to every minute.

 

**At the back of your mind**  


[reading](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/113119651940/peapodcapaldi-whatever-you-do-dont-imagine-one)

 

He was so focused on his book that he barely heard her come to bed. Admittedly, he only noticed when she pulled the covers back and slipped into bed with him. Even though her hair wasn’t nearly as long as it once had been, she still pulled it away from her face with that ribbon he found utterly adorable. The corners of his lips tilted upwards as she settled into bed and turned towards him. Leaning over briefly, he kissed her goodnight before returning to his book.

Her gentle laugh barely registered, so focused was he on his story. In fact, he didn’t even move when she rested her head on his shoulder and slipped an arm around his middle. Only when he reached the end of the story did he set it down on the bedside table and turn back to his wife. His lips parted to ask her about her day, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but then he noticed her, _really_ noticed her. A smile of the utmost fondness curled his lips upwards as he realized that, sometime while he was reading, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Careful not to wake her, he shifted just enough to gather her into his arms and hold her close. With the even sound of her breathing almost like a metronome in his ear, he closed his eyes, that fond smile still on his lips, and let sleep overtake him. 

His last thoughts were of how dearly he treasured the little moments like this with her and how wonderful it was that she gave them to him at all.

 

**You are not**  


[sick](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/115635868185/imagine-person-a-of-your-otp-is-sick-but-person-b)

 

“You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

“I’m ill.”

“It’s just a cold.”

“I will not have you falling ill with me.”

“One hypospray from sickbay will fix it for both of us. You’re not sleeping on the couch. Don’t make me order you into bed, admiral.”

“I outrank you. I could make it an order that you let me sleep wherever I want.”

Beverly folds her arms over her chest and fixes Jean-Luc with a glare she reserves for particularly obstinate patients and the ever-arrogant Q. 

“You know I don’t sleep well when you aren’t in bed with me,” she counters, finally stooping to the lowest step she can feasibly use to make him concede. The way his eyes narrow in return tells her that her plan is working.

“That’s a low blow.”

“I know. Is it working?”

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he huffs out a frustrated breath and finally moves to slide into bed with her. She takes her place, ready to curl up next to him, but as she turns to face him, she notices that he’s moved the extra pillows and blankets around. Suddenly there’s a barrier between them and she isn’t sure if this is better or worse than the alternative. 

Huffing out her own breath of frustration, she places a hand on the top of the pillow fort and peers over it. “Really, Jean-Luc?”

“I will not be responsible for you falling ill!”

“All it will take is a hypospray in the morning. We’ll both be fine. Stop treating me like I’m fragile. I’m your wife and the captain of this ship, Admiral. If you had reservations about me taking this post, you’ve had years to voice them.”

Feeling that this would be punctuated better by a childish move, she flops back on the bed and rolls over with her back to him. For a few minutes, all she hears is silence and she wonders if he’s taken this as surrender from her. A minute later, she hears the sheets rustle. When she dares to glance over her shoulder at him, she sees him leaning over the fort wall at her, a pained expression on his face.

“Beverly… I have never doubted you. I never could.”

“Then stop doubting me now. I scanned you. It’s just a common cold.”

She rolls back over with her back facing him, unwilling to give him any edge in this. A sigh crosses the air between them and a moment later, after a good deal of shuffling, she feels the bed shift and an arm wraps around her waist. Jean-Luc pulls her closer to him and she smiles to herself, knowing she’s won this battle.

“You are impossible to argue with,” he tells her, kissing her cheek before he settles in with her nestled against him. 

“I know. But that’s why you love me.”

 

**Let me treasure you**  


[it's the little things](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/113846255620/things-to-imagine-your-ship-s-doing)

 

She could see him behind her in the mirror, how his entire face lit up as soon as he spotted her standing there, and she knew her face echoed the delight on his. Her lips curled upwards secretly as their gazes met the reflection of the other’s in the mirror. For a minute, he just stood there, watching her as she tied her hair back with the soft pink ribbon in preparation for sleep. Letting her arms fall back to her sides, she watched as he finally stepped forward, taking his time as he approached her and slid his arms around her waist. She folded her arms over his and held him as best she could, reveling in the way he practically cradled her against him. With her hair pulled back, he could nuzzle and kiss her neck with ease, which he did quite readily. 

“How was your day, Captain?” he asked her, as his nose teased the skin behind her ear.

“It was wonderful,” she answered honestly, happy to talk about how everything had seemed to fall into place today. “I spoke with Keiko O’Brien over subspace today. We think we’ve had a breakthrough with one of our botany projects. It seems this particular strain of moss requires a higher concentration of oxygen and nutrients than we previously thought. It’s proving to be as complex and difficult to cultivate as the Diomedian Scarlet Moss was, but we think we’ve got it. At any rate, it’s turning a bright, vibrant purple and supposedly that’s a good sign.”

Once upon a time, she would have stopped explaining about halfway through, thinking she was boring him with an explanation on something he didn’t care about. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that, while he didn’t enjoy botany as such and not the way she did, he absolutely enjoyed listening to her talk about something she so passionately enjoyed. She felt the exact same way when he got into one of his archaeology talks. As far as she was concerned, the fact that they could happily listen to something they had no interest in just because the other was so involved with and excited about it meant that they really did love each other. They loved absolutely everything about each other. 

He nuzzled the spot where her neck met her shoulder and she giggled like a cadet. 

“Now I know you’re bored,” she teased, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

“Not at all,” he replied, kissing that same spot. She wriggled in his arms in protest. 

“You are, too. You’re not even listening to me.”

“I am. You were talking about your adventures in sickbay and how much you miss being Chief Medical Officer of the _Enterprise_.”

She pulled a playfully annoyed face. “No, the _Enterprise_ is what you miss, Admiral, not me. You’re just upset that I’m in charge here.”

His nose moved a little lower across her shoulder. One of her elbows gently made contact with his stomach and he grunted his protest. 

“I’m actually glad you can’t order me to sickbay or threaten to relieve me of duty anymore. Perhaps there are certain perks to being an admiral.”

A burst of laughter escaped her and she dug her elbow in deeper, making him squirm. “I can still order Alyssa to do it for me.”

His retaliation came in the form of merciless tickling. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would! Don’t tempt me!” she gasped between bouts of laughter, writhing in his arms until she finally pulled away and fled for the bed.

He followed slowly, with that secretive smile on his face, and slid into bed beside her. She rested her head on the pillows, facing him and watching him with an expression that left her feelings out in the open between them, no room for doubt. Over the decades they had known each other, they had so rarely been able to be as free as this. From the moment she had agreed to be something more than just his best friend, she had vowed to give him reasons to smile like this, to make him as happy as he made her. Judging by the way he looked at her every day, how he spoke to her even when they were in the company of other people, she thought maybe he had made the same vow for her. 

“You haven’t told me how your day was,” she commented after a few minutes of simply gazing at each other. 

“It wasn’t quite as wonderful as yours seems to have been,” he admitted, kissing her forehead before pressing his to the spot he had just kissed, “but it wasn’t bad, either. I had a good day. Better now that I have time to see you.”

Were he anyone else, she would accuse him of trying to flatter her to earn favor with the ship’s captain. Knowing him as she did, she knew he was being perfectly honest and that was part of what she so loved about him. She smiled softly, in that way they reserved just for each other, and reached one hand up to his cheek, her fingers trailing across his skin to rest against his jaw before she pulled him closer so she could gently kiss him. His hand migrated to her hair, teasing the strands over and over as he kissed her. This was another thing she loved about him: how their embraces could go from heated and excited to calm and sweet in an instant. There was no constant between them except for the fact that they loved each other with their entire being. Sometimes he treated her like she were fragile and sometimes he acted like she were made of stone, able to handle anything. The constant was his love and respect for her, something she cherished and returned as best she could.

She had never felt a love quite like this and she knew he hadn’t, either, but that was the entire point.

 

**taste your lips and feel your skin**  


The crew was slowly getting used to a captain who loved botany as much as her last career. Beverly certainly did and she could be found most days in the Arboretum at some point during her off duty hours, working on one project or another. Her current ones involved a whole section of Earth plants just because she could. Another section was full of medicinal plants that she used to instruct the medical staff on herbal remedies. She even had a crew member or two helping her, people who were interested in learning all they could from someone who had been doing this before they were even born. 

The other thing the crew had to learn to deal with was the fact that the captain and the admiral were on a first-name basis.

And that the captain was the reason the admiral was on board at all. 

_And_ that the captain and the admiral were married.

Beverly knew the whole ship would be talking about the fact that they were in the Arboretum today. Alone. And if some people -- like Alyssa Ogawa, for instance -- weren't standing with noses pressed to the glass, so to speak, she would be very surprised. 

"Jean-Luc, look," Beverly breathed, pointing at her various lilies. White, orange, yellow. Anything possible, she had and they were all blooming finally. The whole sector was alive with beauty. Beverly always felt as though her work was complete when her projects blossomed into a beautiful tapestry. Today, they definitely had.

"These were not here when we came aboard, were they?" Jean-Luc asked, speaking softly as though he might disturb them like a sleeping child. As though he already knew.

Beverly shook her head gently. "I planted them when we came aboard. I never thought they would bloom so easily." She never thought a lot of things would happen, like becoming a captain or getting her own ship. Or getting married again. 

Jean-Luc knelt down next to an orange lily, gently brushing its long petals with his fingers. Passion. Of course that would be the one he would choose in his wife's presence. Beverly's lips tug upwards at the sight. "You have done a wonderful job. These are magnificent, Beverly."

Following him down, she settled in next to him, leaning her head briefly against his shoulder. She had wanted to leave a little more time in between their topics, but the connection was too perfect for her not to take.

"Jean-Luc...there's something I need to tell you."

He shifted next to her, clearly glancing down at her head, so she lifted it to look him squarely in the eyes. Taking his hands in hers, she searched his eyes, her own full of seriousness and a little concern. They had agreed that this would be a possibility, that they would neither try too hard to make it happen nor prevent it from happening at all. Now that it had, now that she knew for certain, she needed to find a way to tell him. 

"Of course," he replied, his own eyes filling with concern. "What is it?"

Beverly took a deep breath, glancing down at the flowers again. "I've spent so much time and energy on these flowers... and now I'm about to turn that to growing something else."

When she dared to glance back at him through her eyelashes, she could see that the wheels were turning in his head as he tried to figure out what else she would grow other than flowers.

"Alyssa and I only just found out. Today was my monthly medical exam." As seemed to be tradition among some captains, she had forgotten, but at least she wasn't as bad as Jean-Luc. Her CMO hadn't needed to hound her into coming into sickbay. "I know we said it would be a possibility. We agreed when we got married that we wouldn't try to prevent it from happening, that it might be a good thing for us."

She gave his hands a little squeeze of reassurance. "Well... it happened. Jean-Luc... we're going to have a baby."

For a few tense seconds, seconds that seemed to drag on, Beverly thought Jean-Luc was about to tell her that she had been wrong, that he didn't want a child or something equally devastating. Instead, a look of wonder seeped into his eyes and his lips curled upwards with a smile as he gazed at her. A moment later, he was squeezing her hands back.

"A child? You are... Beverly, you're pregnant?" he breathed, as though speaking too loudly would break the spell that had fallen upon them.

She pursed her lips to hold her emotions back and nodded. He didn't wait a moment longer; reaching one hand to cup the back of her head, he pulled her in so he could kiss her. It was a passionate kiss to match the vibrant color of the lily in front of them and she returned it with every bit of emotion and love that she felt for him. She knew that he would have a lot of questions for her -- they had spoken of his worry and discomfort with children before and she had assured him time and again that he had done a great job with Wesley, so he would do wonderfully with any child they had, if they ever had one -- but she would welcome them if they meant that she would have another child and a husband to help her raise their little one. 

As they finally pulled back to breathe, his hand slipped through her hair to cup her cheek, thumb running across her skin under her eye. She tilted her head another way to kiss him again, slowly this time, so she could savor the taste of earl grey tea on his tongue and the feel of his lips against hers.

"I love you, Jean-Luc," she murmured.

His lips closed around hers for a moment before he responded. "I love you, too, Beverly."

Later on, they would talk about plans and worries and fears, lay it all out to work through together. Later on, Beverly would be surprised at how few people were talking about them. Later on, she would chastise Alyssa Ogawa for spilling the "secret" to the whole ship before she had a chance to tell her husband. Later on, everyone would laugh at the idea of the entire ship helping to raise the captain and the admiral's baby.

And later on, they would be used to teasing the match that was definitely made perfect by just how much the captain and the admiral were in love.

**I can't keep my eyes off of you**  


  
[distracted](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/115821758635/otpdisaster-person-b-trying-to-gingerly-tiptoe) and [children](http://imaginetheotp.tumblr.com/post/115634132735/aus-involving-kids)  


 

The next morning, he disentangled himself from her, trying not to wake her again. She needed her sleep these days and the last thing he wanted was to prevent her from receiving all that she needed. Pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, he slid out of bed, careful to tuck her back in. With luck, she wouldn’t feel his absence. 

What he hadn’t counted on was for her to shift so he could see the smile slowly blossom across her face. He would never grow tired of that smile or the knowledge that she usually smiled for him these days. It was almost a secret between them, how happy they were with each other. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as sweet and adorable as the picture he was walking away from. His lips curled upwards. When she awoke again, he would have to tell her just how wonderful and perfect she looked tucked in bed like this.

He could have sworn he knew exactly where he was headed and how many steps he had before he would need to turn for the doors. Apparently, he had misjudged everything today and was too damn distracted by how cute his wife was lying in their bed. Completely missing where the door to the bathroom was, he ended up slamming face-first into the wall next to it, knocking over several pieces on the other side and causing a ruckus along the lines of the _Enterprise_ under fire.

“Ow!” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down while hoping that none of this had disturbed Beverly. To his dismay, he heard her soft laughter from across the room and turned to see if she was laughing at him or something in her dreams. The sight of her pushing herself out of bed and stepping closer to him brought on a surge of conflicting emotions he hadn’t prepared himself for. She needed sleep and he couldn’t help the wave of guilt at having woken her. At the same time, his eyes were always drawn to the prominent curve of her belly these days. His wife was pregnant with his child; the very idea brought equal parts excitement and worry to his mind. 

She must have seen the latter, for she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close enough to rest her forehead against his. She wasn’t far enough along to make holding him awkward for either of them, but she was far enough to make her condition obvious. Every so often he could feel the baby kick if he was close enough and a bubble of pure joy floated up inside him before his worry could pop it and send it plummeting to the pit of his stomach again.

“Jean-Luc?”

His lips thinned into an uncomfortable smile, one he didn’t even try to hide. She’d be able to read right through him any day. 

“You’re thinking about the baby, aren’t you?”

Managing a nod, he tried to reassure her. “We agreed that it could be a possibility for many reasons and we were both willing to let things take their course. If nothing came of it, at least we wouldn’t have the disappointment from actively trying. But it did happen, you are carrying my child, and now… I’m just worried that I won’t be a good enough father for our child.”

“Every parent has to learn from scratch, Jean-Luc,” she assured him, kissing the tip of his nose and causing him to smile in spite of himself. “You’ve done wonderfully with Wesley over the years. You’ll do wonderfully with this one, too.”

“I didn’t have to raise Wesley from childhood,” he reminded her pointedly, feeling that using Wesley wasn’t exactly a fair example. 

“No, but you helped him during the most important years of his life,” she countered. He wrinkled his nose at her. “You did. And I’ve seen you with the _Enterprise_ ’s families over the years. You’ve grown into the role whether you like it or not.”

Had he? That was something to think about.

“Besides,” she continued, her smile warming, “you’ll have me to help you figure it out. It isn’t as though you’ll be raising this one alone. We’re in this together, Jean-Luc. Like it or not.”

Somehow she always knew just what to say. Feeling himself relax, he just nodded in response and gently pressed his lips to hers. Words wouldn’t do justice to his feelings now. Perhaps she felt the same, as he felt her echo the kiss, her lips parting to accept him. Allowing the kiss to deepen, he wondered how he could ever doubt her. 

 

**As parents**

 

It was almost too adorable to interrupt. Beverly couldn't help watching from the doorway to the baby's room. Jean-Luc was holding the newborn close to his chest, pacing the room slowly so as not to wake the baby. With Rene tucked up under his chin and his arms wrapped around the tiny little baby, he looked like something out of a fairytale.

Or her own imagination. Hard to believe it was real.

Beverly stayed where she was for as long as she could manage before she finally made her presence known. As soon as he heard her, Jean-Luc's head lifted, his eyes lighting up and a smile tugging at his lips. He seemed to be asking her for her opinion, wanting to know if he really was doing this right. Her bright and proud smile was answer enough.

Once she reached a point directly in front of him, she lifted up on her toes to kiss his nose without disturbing the bundle of love and joy in his arms. "And you were worried you couldn't do this."

She had never had any worry. Someday, he would learn not to doubt her.

 


End file.
